


What a Feeling

by bobbysghost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enhanced Reader, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Reader Has Powers, Reader is a dick, Reader-Insert, Sassy Reader, bucky is a dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-19 22:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14246934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbysghost/pseuds/bobbysghost
Summary: You are the resident Empath of the Avengers. One day, you have a negative reaction to the introduction of Bucky Barnes into the team and quickly grow to resent each other. Fury's had enough and decides to send you on a mission together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this was meant to just be a one chapter thing but it spiraled and now I think it's going to be 2-3 chapters lol  
> Hope you all like!

The day Steve Rogers brought Bucky Barnes home was, without fail, the worst day of your life.

It was about eight in the morning. You and the rest of the team had returned from a classified mission the night before, each as battered as the next. You were exhausted, but still you hadn’t slept more than three hours. Coffee was keeping you sane, and you were on your fourth cup in that morning. You lounged in the kitchen of the Avengers Tower, happy with being alone. It was relaxing to be away from the group after having to top and tail a bed with Natasha for two weeks straight. At night she didn’t half let her mouth run - often strange Russian sayings you couldn't (and didn't want to) understand.

You were an Empath, the half sister of Mantis. You had the human appearance of your mother, whilst the empathic ability of your father. Having the ability to feel emotions was brilliant in sabotaging and interrogation. You could manipulate prisoners emotions, or tell when one was lying - a clear advantage for the Avengers. Yet, your biggest job was calming down Bruce when the Other Guy made an appearance. That was what drained you the most. Luckily, this assignment hadn’t finished with a visit from the Hulk. If it had, you would most likely be drinking your seventh mug of the glorious caffeinated liquid.

Taking their time, each member of the Avengers had filtered into the kitchen. Natasha immediately headed to the coffee, and Clint ruffled your messy hair as he walked past you. He then stole your toast from your plate.

“Hey!” you grumbled indignantly, pouting over at him. “That’s not fair, make your own.” Clint munched happily, leaning against the counter as he smirked at you. You could feel the amusement rolling off him.

Tony stumbled in and made a high pitched groan as he stretched. “Good mornin’, Avengers.”

“Is that the sound Pepper gets to enjoy in bed?”

Tony stuck his tongue out at you, swooping in to take a swig of your coffee. You glared up at him. “Okay, what’s it with guys and taking things which aren’t theirs?” you exclaimed, standing up to get a refill whilst huffing in annoyance. 

“Someone’s cranky today.” Clint teased, nudging you with his elbow. You swatted it away.

“After dealing with your emotions for two weeks am I not allowed to have my own?” you said, but you grinned up at him. You were used to it. You all eased back into comfortable morning silence. Your favourite.

Abruptly, a wave of emotion smashed into you with such a force that your grip on your cup faltered, sending it to the ground with a crash. You doubled over in pain, your hands moving to clutch at your head. The sensations hitting you were unlike any you had felt before. They had been ripped apart; stitched back together; repressed and thrown back up. It felt like you were drinking a whole mismatch of feelings which had created an aching cocktail of hurt.

You took a sharp breath, your hand moving to grip onto Natasha for support. Who could feel this all the time and not die?

“Y/N?” Natasha said your name worriedly, her eyes fearful. You had never reacted to someone’s emotions like this before.

“Who...” you struggled to speak, agony clawing its way up your throat, “Who – is – in – the – Tower?”

“J?” Tony asked for his AI, his face etched in concern. 

“The people currently awake in the tower are you, sir, Miss Romanoff, Miss Y/L/N and Mr Barton. Although,” the robotic voice paused. “Mr Rogers has entered into the elevator and is travelling to the kitchen. He has Mr Barnes with him.”

“That asshole,” growled Clint protectively, his toast now abandoned. “He should know not to come here, doesn’t Rogers know that that level of fucked up will mess with Y/N?”

Hearing Steve's laugh, you paused, your eyes trained on the doorway. You braced yourself for the impact. Steve rounded the corner, his old friend in tow.

"Hi guys, you remember-" Steve stopped when he saw you so obviously in pain. "What's wrong?"

You felt your breath get knocked out of you. The shear intensity of the emotion in the room was enough to send you to your knees, but you held tight to Natasha. You gritted your teeth, trying hard to fight it. If you tried hard enough you could force it out. Holding your hand out to silence Steve when he next tried to speak, you took a few deep breaths.

You shakily stood up again when you managed to push the feelings away. Now, the only emotions you could feel were the smaller ones dancing around. Fear was evident in the room, as was confusion and anger.

Bucky stood behind Steve. Around him was a rippling aura of panic, and you didn't have to be an Empath to sense it. Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to run in a moments notice. He surveyed the room, and his eyes fixed on you. He didn't understand why you were in pain, but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever was hurting you.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Steve asked carefully, his concern obvious. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's him." you choked out, stretching a finger to point accuisngly at Bucky. You felt the shock turn into anger, and you backed up into the saftey of your friends. 

"What? Me?"

"I can feel you." your voice was small but your words were powerful, as everyone else in the room had gone silent. "It feels like you've ripped me apart."

Bucky's eyes went wide, and he asked in confusion, "feel me?"

"Your emotions. I've never experienced anything like it."

"I don't-"

"Y/N is an Empath." Natasha explained, her hand holding yours tightly. "She can feel emotions, sense feelings, manipulate sensations. As soon as you walked in she almost collapsed under the pressure of... you."

Bucky looked shocked for a moment, then a flash of anger shot over his face. "She doesn't even know me!"

"I don't need to, nor want to know you!" you snapped back, the anger rolling from him entering into you as well. "You think I can help this? You think I want to feel your shitty emotions?" You shrugged out of Natasha's grasp, taking a breath to steady yourself before you glared at the man in front of you.

"If you're going to be here for the foreseeable future, do me a favour and stay away from me." 

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want to be near you anyway." he snarled back, and you twitched as more fury was pushed into you. You stormed out of the kitchen, seething, and didn’t look back.

\--------------

The hatred between you and Bucky was common knowledge in the Tower by the end of the first month he was here. Luckily, you had managed to find a way to control how much certain emotions affected you. Tony had created a set of bracelets which repelled others feelings. Now, you could expel any negative emotion from harming you the way Bucky's did.

Sure, it was awkward. You and Steve were still close; his good natured feelings often calmed you so you liked to spend time with him. Unfortunately, Bucky seemed unable to survive without Steve for more than five minutes. That left you tense and annoyed.

Whenever you walked into the lounge, Bucky would leave. Whenever Bucky walked into the lounge, you would leave. You both refused to eat together, train together, even just sit in silence together.

So when Nick Fury demanded you two go with each other on a paired mission, all hell broke loose.

“I’m not going with him!”

“She’s a fucking psychopath!”

“He’s a dickhead!”

“She can’t control herself!”

“I can’t control myself? Excuse me?”

“You’re the one who gets all twitchy whenever I enter a room!”

“That’s because you’re the one with the fucked emotions!”

“Take that back!”

“No!”

“Children!” Fury slammed his hands down hard onto his desk, the resounding sound causing both you and Bucky to jump. You felt Bucky’s glare on you, but you stared defiantly forward at the Director.

“Sir, I can’t go on a mission with him. My powers will be useless.” you pleaded.

“I trust you will overcome your argument and work with Barnes to bring our target in.” Fury ordered. His one eye burned into you, and you gulped slightly. “You will pose as a couple and infiltrate this man’s party. Your alias’ have been added to the guest list already.”

He slid across a picture of an attractive younger man, evidently well off and happy about it. 

“I know this person.” Bucky muttered, leaning closer to you to look at the picture. You scrunched your nose up and rolled your eyes.

“His name is Felix Skog. He’s a member of O.R.M., the Swedish partner of H.Y.D.R.A.” Fury explained. You shivered as you felt the anger and hatred radiate off Bucky, but the bracelets kept it muted. “We want to bring him in for interrogation.”

“Why do we have to do it?” You asked, pushing the photo in Bucky’s direction so he would stop being so close to you. He scoffed.

Fury paced up and down in front of you. “You will invade the house. Y/N, you will use your powers to manipulate him into a secluded room, before Barnes will ensure he is unconscious. We will have a ride for you to bring him back to America.” 

Bucky looked over at you, and you ignored him. You felt him staring, so you flipped him off.

“What time’s the flight?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this story will have 4/5 chapters! This ones a bit of a filler, but I wanted to explore Bucky/Reader's relationship a bit more.

“Right, test me.” You breathed, a bubble of stress surrounding you. You and Bucky had woken at three in the morning, and boarded the nine hour plane journey in a foul mood. The coffee machine had broken the night before – you both needed your coffee in the morning.

“What are your name, age and occupation?” Bucky asked in a monotone voice as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his metal fingers. You felt a roll of annoyance come off him and you rolled your eyes.

“My name is Amanda Rivers, I’m 27 and I am an intelligence officer in the C.I.A.” you replied, reeling off the information you had learnt from the files the night before. “Your turn.”

“This is stupid, I know my information.” Bucky groaned. You flinched at the anger in his words, but ignored them, and merely repeated your sentence.

“Your turn.”

“Fucks sake, fine! I’m Richard Rivers, 32, and I’m an investigations specialist with the American government.” Bucky scoffed, “I hate my name.”

You grinned slightly. “I thought it sounded very you, darling.”

“Don’t call me that.” Bucky grumbled. “This is stupid. Natasha and Clint could’ve easily done it.”

“I’m not going to argue with the Director. He has his reasons.” You shrugged, “and for the record, I’m not happy about this arrangement either. I would much rather be pretending to be Tony’s wife.”

Bucky ignored you. You shifted, the tense clouds floating in the plane making you uncomfortable. Looking down at your wrists, you untied the bracelets. Immediately, the familiar gut-wrenching pain hit you. You gritted your teeth and tried to keep quiet, but you couldn’t help the whimper that escaped your lips. Clenching your wrists, you focused on the disturbed energy around you, and pushed against it. After a second of your brain feeling like it was going to implode, the anxious feelings around you lessened, and you quickly clipped the bracelets back onto each wrist. Bucky’s emotions stopped probing you, and you relaxed.

You felt an air of curiousness surround Bucky, and you lifted your head from where you were laying to glare at him. “Leave me alone.”

“Dick.”

“Fuck you.”

\--------------------

The flight seemed to take days. Of course it was awkward, stuffy and you and Bucky both felt on edge. Finally you landed in Stockholm, the day of the party you were ordered to infiltrate.  
“I’m having a nap as soon as we get in that room.” you yawned, still annoyed over the fact you hadn’t had any caffeine yet. 

Bucky glanced at you from where he was carrying the bags up to the hotel room. You were only staying for the day, but you had said very specifically that you would need two beds. God forbid you had to share with The Grouch.

“We have to go over the files.” He muttered.

“I did that on the plane.”

“Well,” Bucky shrugged. “We have to do it again.”

You glared at him, the lack of sleep and coffee making you a bit tetchier then you normally would be. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

You swore you saw Bucky grin, which only fuelled your irritation. “What was that?”

“I said, you’re so fucking-”

Bucky suddenly whipped around, and pressed his lips tightly against yours. You froze in shock, your lips moving to the beat of their own drums as they kissed him back. Your brain was mush. What the fuck was he doing?

Your brain caught up with you and you shoved Bucky from you with a bit more force than you needed. Grimacing, you wiped your lips with the back of your hand. “What in the world was that, Barnes?”

Bucky’s face had gone back to the permanent scowl you were used to, and he picked up the bag he dropped when he spun around. “The target was down the hall. We’re married, remember?”

“...Oh.” You’d completely forgotten that the hotel you were staying in was also housing Skog. 

“No need to look so disappointed.”

You glowered at Bucky, before walking past him to the room. “Fuck you.”

You shuddered as you heard the laugh escape from him, but ignored him as you entered the room. Glancing around, your eyes fell on the bed. Specifically, the only bed in the room.

Bucky bumped into your frozen figure in the hallway, and he cursed. “What are you doing?”

“We ask for one thing,” you groaned, “one thing. And they couldn’t even do that.”

Bucky stared at the single bed with distaste, before he shrugged and dropped your bag on it. He placed his own bag on the floor. “I’ll sleep down here, its fine.”

“You sure?” you asked, frowning. You were surprised he hadn’t fought you for it.

“I may not like you, but I’m still a gentleman.” Bucky eyed you, before dragging the extra blanket out of the cupboard in the room. 

“Aw, you admitted you didn’t like me.”

He rolled his eyes. You let out a laugh, flopping back on the bed. The aura of the room was calm, and you looked around. Everything was rippling happily, and you smiled.

“Why are you grinning at the ceiling like that?”

You glanced over at Bucky, before looking back up and closing your eyes. “The mood of this room is really nice.”

The confusion in his voice was obvious as he spoke. “You can sense the feelings of a room?”

“Not the feeling, really... just the atmosphere of it. It’s confusing.”

“And negative feelings, they hurt you?”

You gulped slightly, the serene nature of the room being slightly filled with anxious bubbles. You watched them, chewing on your lip. “It depends on how bad the emotions themselves are. I can handle a bit of hate, or sadness. But when emotions have been so twisted and repressed for years, it can feel like a punch to the stomach.”

Bucky was silent. You swallowed awkwardly, before shifting on the bed so you were led on your stomach, and you snuggled yourself into the pillows.

You must’ve fallen asleep, for the next thing you knew Bucky was prodding you with his metal finger. You shivered at the coldness at it, opening one eye to glare at him. “What?”

“I’m ordering food. Do you want anything?” He paused. “I was gonna to leave you, but your stomachs been makin’ noises.”

You sat up, rubbing your head slightly and wincing at the bright lamp to your right. “Coffee. And cheese fries.”

Bucky grimaced at your choice of food, and you glared at him. “Don’t judge me.” 

“You’re gross.”

“How long am I going to be stuck in this hotel room with you?” you groaned. Bucky looked down at you with an unimpressed expression.

“Until the party tonight. But we should sleep beforehand so we’re alert.”

“I can’t spend that long in such close quarters with you.”

“You think I want to?” Bucky snapped back.

You smirked. “You didn’t seem to mind earlier.”  
Bucky glowered over at you, before he pulled out his phone. “I’m ordering the food.”

You left him to it, glancing over at him every once in a while. You watched as he fumbled with the phone, still unsure about how to use it. You watched how his brow furrowed a little as he became more and more confused. Rolling your eyes, you moved to stand next to him and you grabbed the phone out of his hand.

“Let me do it, old man.” You quickly ordered your food, and then you glanced up at him. “What did you want?”

“Just some coffee and a sandwich.” He grumbled, and you sensed he was unhappy that you had stepped in to help him. You quickly ordered his, and put in some extra doughnuts for each of you.

Before long, the food arrived, and you almost pounced on your coffee. Even though it was just shitty hotel caffeine, your withdrawal made it taste like liquid gold. You and Bucky spent the next hour in silence, the only noise coming from the quiet buzz of the TV and the chewing of food. With warm food and drink in your belly, it wasn’t hard for you to drop off again.

The next time you woke, the curtains were drawn and the TV was on mute. You shivered. “Fuck, its cold.” You whispered to yourself, cocooning yourself into the blankets. Looking around, the one thing that caught your eye was a glint of metal. You sat yourself up, and glanced down at the floor by the bed. Bucky was led there, shuddering from the cold. You frowned at the single blanket he had.

“Why am I doing this?” you grumbled, before you leant down and nudged Bucky with your foot. “Barnes.”

He jumped awake, his eyes wide as he looked up at you. For a moment, he looked nothing like himself. His eyes were innocent. Even fearful. You paused for a second, before you flung back the duvet next to you.

“Come on.”

“No.” He said, shaking his head.

“Why not? You’re cold.”

Bucky swallowed and eyed the bed. You raised an eyebrow. “I won’t tell Tony if you don’t.”

That was the persuasion Bucky needed, and he hesitantly climbed into the bed next to you. He led straight as a board and didn’t move. You twitched, the bracelet’s heating up slightly at the amount of bad feelings they were repressing.

“If you so much as touch me, you’re sleeping outside.”

“And vice versa.”

You smiled slightly, before you shut your eyes again, and you both drifted into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a whole chapter in one day (and it's a long one), and I went to school for eight hours and I even did some revision. Don't expect this from me all the time- this was just a one off! Hope you all enjoy. x
> 
> EDIT: re uploaded this chapter because I found some spelling mistakes!

Bucky woke with a start. Feeling the panic rise in his chest, he looked around the room quickly. What was it that Steve said to do when he felt like that? Steve’s calm voice entered his head. 

“Look around the room. Identify five things that remind you that you’re safe.”

Bucky glanced around. He restricted himself to only three things. The empty coffee cup on the floor next to the bed; his half open bag; and the girl snoring softly next to him.

He looked curiously at (Y/N). He’d never been this close to her before. He took the moment to analyse her face – the scar on the top of her left cheekbone, the dotting of freckles across her nose and the healing cut going through one eyebrow. He remembered seeing her return from a mission with Stark with that cut; her face and suit was covered in blood, but she was smiling. He had overheard her say that it was because Stark’s emotions made her feel happy.

Bucky scowled. Why couldn’t his emotions make her feel happy? Because he was fucked up. His own feelings were so twisted and dark, they hurt the one good thing in his new life before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

Truth is, Steve had told him about (Y/N), the beautiful dame with the heart of gold. From the way that Steve had spoken about her, Bucky would’ve thought that he was sweet on her, but Steve assured him they were just friends.

“I really think she could help you, Buck.”

Of course, that was before the disastrous first meeting. Months on, Bucky still kicked himself every day for how pig headed he behaved.

Interrupting his thoughts, he felt (Y/N) stir next to him, and he hurriedly looked away and closed his eyes, praying you hadn’t seen him staring.

You woke up with a stretch, a small smile on your face. You needed that sleep, and you felt 100% better after it. After a moment of calm, the feelings of the room crept up on you. Curiosity, and embarrassment. You sat up with a confused expression, then looked down at the figure next to you.

“You alright there, Barnes?”

Bucky opened up one eye and raised an eyebrow. “I’m fine.”

You checked the time and huffed. Three hours before you two were due at the party – plenty of time to make yourself look like a rich mob wife. “I’m gonna have a shower and start making myself pretty. Feel free to watch what you want on the TV.”

“Mhm.” Bucky nodded as he turned away from you, his eyes still closed. You frowned at him before you grabbed your towel and headed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind you.

The shower was decent, and the array of miniature hotel soaps and shampoos ensured your (Y/H/C) was clean and soft. You scrubbed every inch of your body and shaved, even though you hated doing it. After about half an hour you emerged from the steamy bathroom, towels wrapped around your body and one on your head. You coughed slightly to get Bucky’s attention.

As he turned to look at you, the aura of the room shifted. It became hazy and tinged with pink. You felt a little unbalanced at the sudden appearance of Lust, shifting your shoulders slightly. Too distracted by the sudden change in mood, you missed Bucky’s eyes tracing over your body as he took you in.

“I was just wondering if you could pass me my bag?” you asked absentmindedly, holding one hand out for it. Bucky silently handed it to you, his tongue so twisted at the sight of you he couldn’t talk. 

“Uh- how long are you going to be?” he asked gruffly as he moved back to stare at the TV.

You shook yourself out of the trance you were in and cleared your throat. “Two hours, tops. Bear with me.” You retreated back into the bathroom, still confused. You came to the conclusion that Bucky must’ve been watching something frisky on the TV.

The transformation into rich CIA agent continued with painting your face with a lot more makeup than you would normally wear. You took extra precaution when you covered the scar and cut on your face. As you drew back on the bit of eyebrow the cut had taken away, you blinked at yourself in the mirror. It wasn’t that your face had changed; it had enhanced. 

The ruby lips in the reflection smiled back at you when you grinned.

You blow dried and gently curled your hair to perfection. It made a nice changed to have it down, as you normally wore it tugged up into a quick and easy bun. Looking at yourself, you almost squealed at the sight.

The metamorphosis was finished with the dress. Natasha had let you borrow it from her own special collection. You hardly wore dresses, especially not such expensive ones. It matched your lipstick, was floor length and hugged your figure tightly. Your hips were the main focus of the garment, but it still dipped low enough to show ample amount of cleavage. Throwing on a pair of Pepper’s strappy red heels, you were ready to deceive some criminals. 

Once again you stepped out of the bathroom to a pink room. You smirked a little when you saw Bucky in his suit and tie, looking every inch the wealthy man he was portraying. You guess he didn’t see you.

“You scrub up nice.” You said quietly, a small smile on your face.

Bucky turned at your voice, and the second he set eyes on you his pupils blew wide, and his mouth fell open slightly. You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

“I- I- uh, wow.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes raking up and down your body, wrapped tightly in the red material. “You look... nice.” He finished awkwardly.

You smiled in amusement, moving forward to step closer than him. Your heels gave you a couple of inches, but Bucky was still half a head taller than you. “Tie your hair back.”  
“Huh?”

“Like this.” You grabbed a hair band from your makeup bag, before you spun him around. You ran your fingers over his scalp before tugging his locks up into a slick ponytail. You felt trickles of embarrassment run over your fingers and you quickly pulled them back.

Bucky looked at his hair in the mirror, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he turned back to you. “Thanks, I guess.”

You nodded slightly, before you looked down at your wrists at the simple gold bands on them. “I can’t wear these if I’m going to be using my powers.” You twisted them around your arm. You were nervous to take them off, but you knew couldn’t complete the mission with them on.

You took a breath and unclipped them, and you braced yourself for the slam of pain you were so used to. 

It didn’t come.

The usual punch of hurt was replaced by little pinches, and you frowned. Why didn’t it hurt? You looked up at Bucky. His mouth was set in a line, and he looked away.

“Come on, the driver’s here.” He said firmly.

You nodded silently, grabbing your coat and your bag. You slipped your pistol into your purse; you had confirmation from Fury they wouldn’t check. Bucky waited by the door, holding it open for you. You quietly thanked him when you walked through, still shocked by the fact that you weren’t hunched over in pain.

Bucky locked the door, before he turned to you and looked down at you with narrowed eyes. “You remember the plan, Mrs Rivers?”

“I do know it, Mr Rivers.” You replied, sighing slightly. He tapped on your chin with his finger, forcing you to look up at him.

“Keep your head straight. It’s a simple job. We’ll be home tomorrow, and you can go back to avoiding me. This is the last time we have to talk.” Bucky’s voice was slightly strained, and his eyes were slightly sad.

You swallowed, “Bucky, I-”

“Let’s go.” He said roughly, heading down the hallway of the hotel. You watched him in defeat, before following him, your heels clacking against the floor.

\---------------------

“This is definitely not my scene.” You mumbled, gripping Bucky’s metal arm with your hand. You felt his arm whir under your palm. He glanced down at you, smiling slightly.

“Is that Widow’s dress?”

You nodded, flashing a perfect smile at another couple who walked past you. You had entered the party without a problem, your alias’ being at the top of the list like Fury had promised. It was impossibly swanky, all crystal and champagne. You were offered a glass when you arrived, but you declined - the alcohol messed with your powers. Bucky, on the other hand, had already drunk a glass, the bubbly having absolutely no affect on him.

“Two o’clock, coming our way. Skog.” 

You looked where Bucky was muttering, and the same attractive young man from the picture. The target himself, Felix Skog. He came up to you both with a wide smile.

“Welcome, guests! I don’t believe we have been introduced. You are in that hotel, I saw you two getting frisky earlier.” 

You noted he breathed an air of arrogance and confidence – not unlike your friend Tony at all. But there was something about him. Something you couldn’t put your finger on. He took your hand and bent down to press his lips to it.

“I am Felix. Felix Skog.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr Skog.” You said breathily, feigning a simpering fan. “I’m Amanda Rivers, this is my husband Richard.” To make the lie even more convincing, you cuddled into Bucky’s side. He flashed Skog an award winning smile.

“It’s brilliant to meet you.” Bucky shook Skog’s hand, “I’m a big fan.”

You could practically see Skog’s head inflate as his ego was boosted. He gestured to one of the waiters carrying more champagne flutes, and he quickly scurried over. “Drink?” Skog asked with a smile.

Bucky nodded, but you shook your head. “Not for me.”

“No, Amanda?” Skog passed Bucky his drink, and sipped from his own glass. “How come?”

You tensed slightly. You hadn’t been prepped for this question. You felt Bucky tense as well, but he acted quickly. He placed his drink on a passing waiters tray and moved his flesh hand to your stomach.

“We didn’t want to tell anyone so early...” he started, a warm smile on his face as his thumb ran over your stomach. “But my wife and I are expecting.”

You saw the surprise around Skog’s head, and you quickly mirrored Bucky’s happiness. “Yes, we’re really excited.”

“Well, congratulations to you both.” Skog said, raising his glass in a toast, “to new life.” 

He downed his glass, before he looked around the room. “Go, enjoy the evening.” He left with one last lift of his glass, and then disappeared back into the crowd.

You watched as he socialised with other people, before you turned to Bucky. You made it look as if you were talking happily with him, whereas it was actually something completely different.  
“Pregnant? That’s the one thing you could think of?” You hissed. He smiled down at you, but his words were equally pissed off.

“You were the one who slept instead of prepared for the mission.”

You narrowed your eyes slightly. “I can’t wait until we don’t have to talk to each other again.”

Bucky pulled you tighter to his side, pressing his lips to the side of your head. “Me neither, Doll.”

You spent the next hour or so mingling. You both kept your eyes on Skog, and the minute he looked a little tipsy, it was your time to shine.

Bucky gave you a final squeeze, and a smile. “You can do it.” You smiled gratefully, before you wandered off into the crowd.

Skog was just tipsy; not as drunk as you would’ve liked, but it would’ve worked. He was leant on his bar, the perfect place for you to join him.

“Amanda,” Skog purred, wrapping his arm around you. “My little American minx.” 

You grimaced on the inside, but plastered on a smile. You quickly set to work, transparent floating hands moving to brush against Skog’s cheeks. You know he, and only he, could see them. His expression turned from one of confusion to happiness, and he slightly fell against you. You mumbled quietly to him – to anyone looking, it would just seem like you were whispering sweet nothings into his ear. 

“Take me to the deserted hallway.” 

With a silent nod of his head, Skog took your hand and weaved through the crowd. The guests parted for him automatically, not paying any attention to what was really happening. You spied Bucky where you left him; some random Swedish woman was talking to him, batting her eyelashes to get his attention. His eyes were trained on you. 

Soon you entered into the significantly quieter hallway. You let out a sigh of the relief. Half the mission done, now it’s Bucky’s turn. 

You focused on keeping your swirling hands around Skog’s head. You weren’t hurting him; just manipulating him into following your orders. You hated doing it, but you knew that Fury needed you to.

“(Y/N).” Bucky’s voice sounded from behind you, and you felt his hands on your waist. He leant down to kiss your cheek. “Good job.”

“What are you on, Bucky?” You grumbled. Bucky laughed slightly. Suddenly, you realised why he was so different – the aura you were creating had caused him to change moods. He was happier, and it looked good on him.

“I don’t know, but I like it...” he mumbled, before he dipped his head. His lips barely brushed yours...

“Why the fuck are we out here?”

Bucky had distracted you from the one thing you had to do – keep Skog in your grip. You looked up at Bucky, who’s eyes had widened when he realised how close he was to you.

“Shit.”

Bucky just looked at you, looked at Skog, then down at his metal fist. Bucky quickly and effectively upheld his part of the deal; he smashed Skog in the face.

As he hit the carpet with a thump, you looked down at him with raised eyebrows.

“That’ll do it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, everyone! Thank you all for the positive feedback - I hope everyone's enjoyed! Comment any Avenger you'd like to see a one shot of next :D

It was definitely the most awkward situation you had been in, in a long time. Bucky threw an unconscious Skog over his shoulder, and you both headed towards the back exit. 

“Don’t fucking tell Stark.” Bucky mumbled, his cheeks still tinged pink. You rolled your eyes slightly.

“I won’t, obviously.” You put your hand to Bucky’s chest, stopping him from walking around one corner. You pressed your finger to your lip. There were two guards next to the door you needed to escape from.

You brushed off your dress and ran your fingers through your hair, adding volume to it. You stuck a smile on your face before you headed round the corner.

“You’re not allowed to be back here, ma’am.” One guard said. You giggled slightly, pretending to be a bit tipsy.

“Sorry, gentlemen, I was just looking for the bathroom...” you brushed your hair back from your neck, and watched as the guards leered closer. “this place is awfully big.”

As the other turned to speak, you quickly pushed some calm into them – they visibly relaxed, and even smiled. They were soon putty in your hand.

“Let me and my partner use the door, don’t ask questions, then go and join the party.” You ordered. The guards nodded and stepped aside from the door. You whistled for Bucky, who rounded the corner after a second.

“Thank you, boys.” You smiled as they wandered off, and you and Bucky successfully slipped through the back. Mission accomplished.

Or, so you thought.

“Where’s the fucking driver?” Bucky hissed, his eyes narrowed in the darkness. You shivered – the dress didn’t do much to keep you warm.

“I don’t know.” You groaned quietly, “Fury never fucks up, what is this?”

You both stood together for a second, shuddering from the cold. You thought you heard the rumble of a car engine coming down the road. You sighed, looking up at Bucky. “Finally-”

You paused and froze. Bucky had his head turned away from you, and you saw a single, red dot hovering on the back of his skull.

“Bucky, get down!” 

You pounced on the super soldier just as a shot rang out through the sky- the bullet flew over the both of you, and you felt the air around you suddenly get very tight. Danger.

You scrambled up and discarded your bag for your pistol. Bucky picked up Skog, who was stirring slightly. A second shot fired, just skimming your head. You shot blindly in the direction of the sniper- it was too dark to figure out which building they came from.

“(Y/N)!” Bucky grabbed your wrist. “The car’s just down the road, its coming.”

“You get in first, we need to get him on the jet.”

Bucky’s eyes widened slightly. “I need you to be safe.”

“I’m doing my job.” You said firmly. “Target first.”

The car finally pulled up in front of you, and you nudged your head for Bucky to get in first. He started to protest, but your furious look made him think twice. You looked around for a final time. There had been no more shots – the shooter had probably moved on.

You turned your back to get in the car, and that’s when it hit you.

More specifically, that’s when the bullet hit you.

You felt it rip into your side, and you collapsed with a yelp of pain. Your face was a contortion of pain, and you moved your hand to try and feel the hole. The blood which spewed from it matched your dress perfectly.

“Fuck.” You heard Bucky’s voice, though through the pain it was distant. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. (Y/N), doll.”

“Skog.” You winced, coughing slightly as you spoke.

“He’s fine.” Bucky said fiercely. “Don’t speak.” You groaned as he gently lifted you in his arms, bringing you into the car. “Get to the jet as quick as you can, I don’t care how many fucking laws you break.”

You could feel the car moving, but at the same time, you couldn’t. You knew you were sat in Bucky’s lap, his hand pressed against the wound on your back. You felt Bucky’s lips against your ear as he whispered to you.

“It’s gonna be okay, Darlin’. We’re gonna get you on that jet, there’s doctors on there, they can help.”

Even in your half numb state, you could still feel the panic closing in on you. Yours, Bucky’s, even the fucking drivers. It was suffocating, and you felt your breath catch in your throat.

“(Y/N)?”

You couldn’t breathe.

“(Y/N)!”

\------------------------

You were floating in darkness. It was peaceful. Serene. It was the first time you had felt this sense of calm since you were a kid. You remember being young, not understanding the powers you possessed. You didn’t understand why your father’s anger affected you so much – you were just called an over emotional child. 

Fury found you when you were at breaking point, and he had recruited you. You lived in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters for years, training your powers for them to be used for good, until you were old enough to join the Avengers.

The Avengers, your second family. Of course, each of their respective terrible lives had knocked you down a bit, but you always overcame it within a week. Bucky was the first person you couldn’t overcome. Not until now.

Bucky. What was he doing now? Was he floating too? 

You heard your name be called out in the darkness. Who was calling for you? Where was Bucky – was it him? What was that beeping?

Please stop the beeping.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“(Y/N)... wake up...” 

Beep. Beep.

“Please wake up...”

Beep.

“(Y/N)...”

Your eyes shot open as you flung yourself up. Your throat was obstructed by a large tube, and you scratched at your neck with your nails, struggling to draw a breath. A large hand tugged your hands away, and others pulled the tube out of your airway. You coughed, sucking in a large breath as you spluttered.

After a bought of coughing, you fell back onto the hospital bed, tears streaming down your face as you squeezed your eyes shut. The hospital lights were too bright. 

“Look at me, doll...”

As you felt the coldness of his hand on your cheek, you knew who it was. You relaxed under Bucky’s touch, and opened your eyes. Your vision was blurry for a second, but soon Bucky’s face turned clear.

“Buck.” You whimpered, your hand moving to clasp his. His eyes were rimmed with red, and he grinned slightly down at you.

“There you are, darlin’. Had us all worried for the moment.”  
“Us?”

“The Team, Fury, the Doctors...” he nodded to the nurse who had taken your breathing tube out. You looked over at her, and she smiled over before heading out. You looked back at Bucky.

“How long have I been in here...?” You mumbled, absentmindedly reaching your hand to stroke his cheek. 

Bucky leaned into your touch. “Two months.”

“Months?” your eyes widened, and you sat up straight. The beeping on the heart rate machine sped up, and your breathing became heavier. Bucky stood up in his chair, pressing his hands on your shoulders. You stared up at him, and immediately felt calmer. You sat back down carefully in the bed, and finally registered how much pain you were actually in. Bucky saw you wince, and pumped some more morphine into your drip.

“The bullet didn’t hit your spine, thank God, but it went pretty far into your body. You had internal bleeding, and then pretty major surgery to stop it.” Bucky took a breath, and you frowned when a tear dropped from his eye. “Your heart stopped. Twice.”

You were silent, the realisation dawning on you. You nearly died. 

Bucky wiped his eye, shaking his head slightly. “We’ve all been here. Clint comes in a couple times a week with Nat. Tony’s busy but he has dropped in. Steve’s fucking frantic - he’s in here almost as much as I am.”

“Almost as much as you are?” You mumbled, your words slurring slightly. The morphine was working.

Bucky opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a knock at the door interrupted him. Fury walked in. You frowned. Was that guilt on his face?

“Director.” You said, shifting up in your bed. He offered you a smile.

“Stand down, Agent.”

Fury moved to the end of your bed. It was odd, seeing him in such an informal way. You squirmed slightly. Bucky moved his hand to yours, a confused expression on his face. You tried to figure out the sense of the room, but it was fuzzy.

“What are you doing here, Fury?” Bucky said, almost protectively. “You haven’t visited before.”

“I came as soon as I realised Miss (Y/L/N) was awake.” He said. “I wanted to talk to her in person. You both, actually – I knew you would be here, Barnes. I wanted to apologise.”

“Apologise?” you asked, your head beginning to hurt. You were so disorientated. What was going on?

Fury cleared his throat. “It’s my fault the car didn’t arrive on time.”

You watched as Bucky’s faced turned furious. “What?”

“It was an accident, albeit a stupid one.” Fury defended himself, holding his hands up in surrender. “But I am sorry. Thanks to you two, we’ve apprehended Skog and we’re working on dismantling O.R.M.”

“(Y/N) nearly fucking died.” Bucky growled. “If that car had been there when it should’ve, (Y/N) wouldn’t have got shot.”

“I know, and I have apologised-”

“That’s not good enough!” Bucky stood up sharply, the motion causing the chair he was perched in to be knocked on the ground with a crash. You jumped, the motion causing you to be flooded with pain. You yelped slightly, and Bucky immediately knelt by your side, his eyes worried.

“Director...” you breathed out, “It’s okay. Don't-" you struggled to find the words. "Just don't."

Fury nodded his head once, understanding your stammering. “All of your medical bills have been paid for by S.H.I.E.L.D., in return for your service.” With that, he exited the room.

“Fucker.” Bucky said quietly.

“Bucky...” you moved to brush his hair back with your hand. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his shoulders shook slightly.

“He could’ve fucking killed you.” He said, his voice cracking slightly. “I thought you were going to die. And I could’ve never forgiven myself.”

You stayed silent, still trying to get the sense of the room. It was becoming easier now. The pink was back, only this time it was lighter than, not as heavy as Lust. You didn’t recognise it.

“You would’ve died thinking I hated you. And that’s not true.” A tear slipped out of his eye. You gently tugged on his hair to get him to look at you.

“Buck...” You whispered as you pulled his face closer, before brushing your lips against his. “I know.”

Bucky frowned, before whispering slightly. “Is this okay?”

You nodded, and Bucky finally pushed his lips against yours. Suddenly, you knew what the emotion was.

Love. 

And in that moment, you knew. The day Steve Rogers brought Bucky Barnes home was, without fail, the best day of your life.


End file.
